Perth Comedy Festival 2019

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The full line-up for the 2019 Perth Comedy Festival sees Mark Forward (CAN), Jason Leong (MYS) and the return of the South African Comedy All Stars (RSA), joining Aussie comics Charles Firth and James Schloeffel, Cassie Workman, Steve Hughes, Daniel Townes, and local yokels Tor Snyder, Umar Azad, Glenn Grimwood and Jez Watts and on what is an impressively long list of over 50 comedians presenting a world-class program.

The festival returns 22 April – 19 May and tickets to these shows go on sale as of 11am, Wednesday 27 February via www.perthcomedyfestival.com.

The laughs will be felt all the way down to Freo this year, with Rock Rover hosting the Perth Comedy Festival Showcase on Thursday 2 & 9 May and the ever-popular South African Comedy Allstars (RSA) returns to the Heath Ledger Theatre on Saturday 11 May.

The suspense of the upcoming Federal Election will be immortalised on-stage with a recreation of the National Tally room headed by The Chaser’s Charles Firth who has teamed up with The Shovel’s James Schloeffel and some of Australia’s best television satirists – Mark Humphries (ABC TV 7.30), Freudian Nip’s Victoria Zerbs tand Jenna Owen (SBS TV The Feed). ‘The War on the F*#king Election 2019’ takes over the Astor Theatre on Saturday 27 April and promises to re-create all the drama of election night, minus the boring speeches.

After breaking the internet with this stand-up comedy clip about Whatsapp groups that became viral to the tune of 16 million views, Dr Jason Leong (MYS) took 2018 by storm with sell out seasons at both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Sydney Comedy Festival. It’s now Perth’s turn to experience his razor-sharp wit as the doctor-turned-comedian performs ‘Ambitious’ at The Astor Lounge on Friday 10 May.

Another Perth debut comes from Canada’s Mark Forward who is set to deliver ‘Wins All The Awards’ on May 3 and 4 at the Perth Comedy Lounge in the CBD. Death, bees, death, puppets, death and cows in heaven (who are dead). Sharp and beautifully composed madness, Forward is a must-see.

Multi-award winning Australian comedian Cassie Workman’s ‘Giantess’ is a story of self-acceptance interweaving music, comedy, storytelling and illustration. Cassie’s one-person-show explores the anguish of coming to terms with a gender identity that doesn’t match your body. A must-see on 3 and 4 May at The Astor Lounge.

Comedy veteran Steve Hughes is known the world over for his hard hitting, take no prisoners stand-up and his new show ‘Are You Serious?’ is no exception. Prepare yourself for an absolutely hilarious look at today’s crazy PC politics on Saturday 11 May at the Regal Theatre.

Sydney’s Daniel Townes returns to Perth stating ‘The World is Amazing and Everyone’s a Winner’– a show exploring the current divide in our society, equality, fear-mongering, offence and Batman. As seen on ABC2 Comedy Next Gen and Comedy Up Late, as well as the Just for Laughs Australia Stand-up series, Townes pours 16 years of experience onstage into his dry, intelligent and brilliantly relatable humour. Friday 10 May at the Astor Lounge.

Umar Azad delivers an encore performance of his recent Fringe World show which took the gong for Best Comedy WA - ‘Halal?.. Is It Meat You’re Looking For?’ on Friday 3 March at the Comedy Lounge.

And if you’re looking for something super offensive, Perth’s Jez Watts and Glenn Grimwood present The Nasty Show on 3 and 4 May at the Regal Chorus Room. A masterclass in smut, these shows completely sold out in 2016, 2017 and 2018 so get your tickets fast to avoid disappointment. Watts and Grimwood also present solo shows as part of the festival.

The biggest night of comedy in Perth - The Perth Comedy Festival Gala- is set for Wednesday 1 May (sold out) and Wednesday 8 May at The Regal Theatre. Hugely popular, these events provide the unique chance to see emerging and established comedians on the one bill.

2019 sees the festival takeover the Regal Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA, the Astor Theatre, the Comedy Lounge in Perth CBD as well as Rock Rover in Fremantle. Tickets are on sale now via www.perthcomedyfestival.com.